Jessica Chastain: Busy in the Big Apple

She’s been rocking the house in her Broadway play “The Heiress,” and last night (December 18) Jessica Chastain was spotted leaving the Walter Kerr Theater.

The “Help” actress looked to be in good spirits as she made her exit and smiled for a few shutterbugs and fans that gathered to greet her.

In career news, Jessica’s new flick “Zero Dark Thirty” is slated to hit theaters nationwide on January 11th, and she recently chatted with Reuters about her initial reaction to the finished film.

"It is a tough one for me to watch, because there is so much responsibility with playing this woman. I find her to be incredible. And I didn't want to change her story or make her a Hollywood version, with a lot of makeup. I didn't want to trivialize what she did ... I want her to like it, but I don't know if she will ever see it."

As for her experience shooting the torture scenes, Chastain explained, "We filmed in a real Jordanian prison, in the middle of nowhere. The environment wasn't great, especially as a woman.”

"They had a lot of trust between the actors, nothing was dangerous or unsafe. There was a lot of discussion to make sure that we weren't doing something that was going to be salacious. They just wanted it to be accurate.

"I know I am playing a character who has trained to be unemotional. But I have spent my entire life allowing myself to be emotional, and allowing myself to feel everything. ... There was actually one day that we were doing a scene, and I said, 'I am sorry' and I just had to walk away, and I just started crying ... it was a very intense experience."

Enjoy the pictures of Jessica Chastain leaving the theater after performing in 'The Heiress' (November).